Jinchuriki Guardian
by Istagrem
Summary: A stranger arrives in the Hidden Waterfall Village bearing a grave warning for its resident Jinchuriki. But it may already be too late to change the future...


_Note: This story was written in 2009, before Fū or the Seven Tails' abilities or personalities had been established in the manga.  
_

* * *

_"Once you complete this passage, you will become a distinctly new entity, without any existing connections or obligations beyond this singular purpose."_

_"This seal marks you as an agent of our will. When you run your chakra through it, we will recognize you and you will be protected."_

_"Do not think for an instant that we are doing this for your sake. We grant you this boon entirely out of our own self-interest."_

_"But we do not expect you to help us out of pity or charity. Rather, we know you will do this because of the compassion you feel towards our hosts."_

* * *

Fū tried to contain her nervousness as she looked out at the ninja assembled to watch her. Today was the day she took the special test the elders had required of her. Only if she succeeded would she and her Genin team be allowed to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exam.

Normally a Genin would simply need to have the permission of their sensei and have completed a certain number of missions in order to be allowed to participate in the examinations for advancement to the rank of Chunin. However, Fū was hardly normal. When she was an infant, she had been selected to be the host for the powerful demon possessed by the Hidden Waterfall Village: the Seven-Tailed Demon Horned Beetle. Before Fuu and her team would be allowed to take the Chunin Exam she had to prove that she could serve her purpose as a host by harnessing the power of the demon sealed within her.

Now she stood in the middle of a clearing in the woods near the Waterfall Village's mission office. Small crowds of her fellow Waterfall ninja were watching from the edge of the clearing. In front of them stood her teammates Shibuki and Hiroshi, and behind them watched the five elders of the village, led by Shibuki's father Hisen.

Fū's sensei, Suien, attached a heavy chain to her leg, which would prevent her from leaving the clearing should she lose control to the demon. As he worked, he gave her some final instructions. "Now remember, Fū, you will be allowing the demon's chakra to flow, but you need to remain in control. Be careful that you don't lose focus or get carried away." Suien stepped back to the edge of the clearing and nodded. "Begin."

Fū closed her eyes and began to concentrate on the flow of chakra through her body. She could easily sense the demon's chakra. It had been there ever since she had first learned how to detect the flow of energy through her body, a shooting hot violet of such intensity that it threatened to overwhelm the cool blue of her natural chakra. As she tapped into the violet chakra, her aqua colored hair began to stand on end and her skin began to tingle as the electricity that constantly flowed through it intensified. Soon the current was great enough that it became visible, forming a cloak of lightning around Fū's body.

Two protrusions began to form from the lightning cloak, one from her head like a horn and another from her rear like a tail. The buzzing that seemed to always be at the back of Fū's mind increased in pitch. She could feel the demon's emotion, yearning for freedom. _So close_, it said, _let us take to the sky, and leave this miserable existence behind_. Fū tried to level off the chakra flow, but the demon pressed itself further into her mind. _You should not be beholden to those pathetic humans_, it said. _They care nothing about you, why should you be any different?_

Fū tried to remember her lessons with Suien and the others. She thought of the point that they were always impressing upon her. _Duty_…

_Duty is artificial_, the demon pressed, _a construct for humans who have forgotten the truth. Instinct and emotion are all that you need. Cast off your restraints and be free!_

Suddenly, there was a surge in the chakra of such intensity that Fū fell to her knees. The tail of the chakra cloak whipped about and began to split.

* * *

Hisen, the head ninja of the Hidden Waterfall Village, watched as Fū's transformation progressed. The chakra rolled off of the demon cloak in waves of ever strengthening intensity. Behind him, he could hear two of the elders murmuring, and he could sense their anxiety increasing in tandem with the oppressive chakra.

All of a sudden the gathering chakra spiked, and a burst of lightning enveloped the clearing, knocking many of the bystanders to the ground. "Fū!" Suien cried out. "Power down!" But the girl gave no indication of hearing. Instead, the manifested tails began to beat furiously and the demon form began to struggle against the chain binding it.

"The demon is taking control!" the youngest elder, Taro, called out. "Attach the chakra control device!"

Fū's teammate Hiroshi, who had been holding said device, moved to comply, but one of the demon's tails suddenly extended and contorted, striking Hiroshi with enough force to send him flying out of the clearing. He struck a tree and fell to the ground, the chakra control device falling from his hands.

As Hisen ran to Hiroshi's side, he saw a young woman he didn't recognize approach from the other direction. Alarm was evident on her face as she looked at him. "What's happening?"

"Fū has lost control of the demon!" Hisen replied. "This device will stop the demon, but I don't know how we can get it attached!" Hisen pulled a glass bottle out of his tool pouch. "Maybe with the Hero's Water…"

He started to uncork the bottle, but stopped when the woman grabbed the chakra control device. "Wait! Let me try!" Hisen started to protest, but she was already running towards the manifesting demon.

As he was behind her, Hisen could not clearly see what the woman was doing. She made a hand sign, but he could not tell if she was molding chakra as his senses were overwhelmed by the demon chakra. A tail flew out towards the woman, but did not seem to impact with any force, as the woman didn't even flinch. Hisen watched in amazement as the demon suddenly quieted and the lightning cloak calmed enough that Fū could be seen beneath it. The strange young woman wasted no time and pressed the chakra control device against Fū's stomach. The lightning chakra immediately receded, and Fū fell to the ground.

"What just happened?" Hisen asked the woman. As she turned towards him, he thought he saw a strange marking on her forehead, but it quickly faded from view. "Why did the demon calm down when you approached it? Who are you?"

"I was given a special chakra seal that's supposed to keep demons from attacking me," the woman replied. She kept glancing at the ground, as if she had something she was too embarrassed to say. "Honestly, that was the first time I used it, so I wasn't entirely sure what would happen. As for who I am, well, it's kind of a long story. My name is… well, you can call me Fubuki."

Hisen considered this, looking the woman over. She wore a battered green flack vest of the style favored by Leaf ninja, but she did not have a forehead protector. Her hair was striking, appearing to have a rose colored base with bright orange-red highlights. This was worn neck-length, with pronounced bangs that framed her face.

Hiroshi groaned, and Fū suddenly snapped to attention. "Hiroshi! Oh no! I'm so sorry!"

Another Waterfall ninja was tending to Hiroshi. "It looks like some of his ribs are broken."

Fubuki looked at Hiroshi. "I'm a trained field medic. Let me help you." Hiroshi nodded, and Fubuki kneeled beside him and began performing a medical technique. "It looks like there isn't significant damage to your internal organs. It will take a few weeks for your ribs to heal, but after that you should be fine." As she worked, she glanced at Hisen. "Tell me, is there any news about the Hidden Leaf Village?"

"Nothing in particular," Hisen replied. "Taro here was there just last week to negotiate a deal for food pills. It seems Hokage Sarutobi is as shrewd as ever, though of course there is rampant speculation as to when he will name a new successor. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I had heard … but from what you said, it sounds like the village is fine." Fubuki stood. "That's as much as I can do. You should be able to move about on your own now; just don't do anything too strenuous for a few weeks."

Hiroshi rose to his feet. "Thank you. That feels much better."

"I think today's demonstration is finished," Hisen said. "It seems that the danger has passed, so go ahead and release Fū. Please accompany me to the mission office; we can continue our discussion there."

* * *

The Hidden Waterfall Village's mission office was outside the village proper so that clients and visitors could be kept away from the village's sensitive areas. Inside this office was a conference room where the five village elders could meet. They were now present, along with Fubuki, Fū, and several others. The elders sat quietly as Fubuki addressed them.

"I am currently on a mission to counter the threat of a group of S-class criminals known as Akatsuki. Because of circumstances, I can't tell you where I am from or who I am working for. But please believe me when I say that I am not an enemy of the Waterfall. Be aware that the Akatsuki are a threat not just threat to my home. Their goal is to acquire all nine of the tailed demons, including the one sealed within Fū, and they will stop at nothing to do so. One of their members is a rogue ninja from this village… Kakuzu."

"Kakuzu?" Taro scowled. He was the youngest of the five elders, and, unsurprisingly, the most outspoken. "He defected over fifty years ago. I doubt he would be much of a threat to the village, assuming he's even still alive."

"Don't be so dismissive, young man," replied Senji, Hisen's elderly advisor. "Kakuzu was one of the most powerful ninja ever affiliated with the Waterfall. He was able to master the Necromancy Earth Art and use it to kill four of the five founding elders." He shuddered. "I saw the aftermath, and it was by far the most horrible thing I have ever seen. The elders had been completely ripped apart. Kakuzu had pulled their still-beating hearts out of their bodies and incorporated them into his own."

"Kakuzu can use his technique to replace his vital organs when they are damaged," Fubuki added. "Because of this, he is able to overcome the effects of old age in addition to being extremely difficult to kill. Furthermore, his extra hearts allow him to manipulate all five elemental chakra natures at once. And he isn't even the most powerful of the Akatsuki."

Hisen considered this. "Several years ago we did receive intelligence indicating that Kakuzu had joined a group of like-minded criminals. There have only been sporadic sightings since then, but nothing to indicate a threat to this village. But if they are trying to collect the tailed demons, then it is possible that they might attack the village to get at Fū."

One of the elders had paled considerably. "If people like that are after the demon, then maybe we should just give it up. We simply don't have ninja at that level."

"What?" Taro was incensed. "The seven-tails is one of our village's prized possessions. You would give it up just because some stranger says there might be a danger?"

The other elder turned to Taro, fear evident on his face. "The demon is dangerous on its own. The demonstration earlier today showed so. We are a small village; we don't need such destructive power."

Hisen raised a hand, forestalling further argument, then turned to Fubuki. "You said you intend to stop this Akatsuki. How do you plan to do this?"

"I intend to meet with the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village," Fubuki replied. "My hope is that the intelligence I provide will allow the Hidden Leaf to develop a counter to the Akatsuki."

"Yes, we need to get in touch with our allies in the Leaf to see what they have to say about this," Hisen said. "I don't want to just give Fū to enemies of this village, but we can't ignore this threat either. Unfortunately, as I see it, we currently do not have enough information to justify any particular course of action. For something this important we can't just rely on the word of a single foreign ninja." Most of the other elders nodded in agreement. "For now, Fū will remain here at the mission office. Fubuki, you are welcome to stay here as well."

Fubuki bowed. "Thank you, honorable elders."

* * *

Fubuki scowled at her reflection in a bathroom mirror. It seemed that a side effect of the demon seal was to give her hair an orange tint. She could change it back with a transformation technique, but there didn't seem to be much of a point now as the Waterfall ninja had only ever seen the new shade. Besides, harsh ninja life had long ago cured her of much of her vanity, and she supposed it was fitting that she had acquired a new appearance to go with her new identity.

As Fubuki left the bathroom, she noticed Hiroshi and Shibuki walk past, the former looking quite upset. Fū approached the two from further down the hallway. "Hiroshi, I…" Fū began, but Hiroshi cut her off.

"Save it, Fū. I'm not in the mood," Hiroshi snapped, and then he stormed through a nearby door, shutting it loudly.

Fū stood silently in the hall while Shibuki looked between her and the door Hiroshi went through. Shibuki looked like he might say something, but he hesitated, and Fū turned away and entered another room.

As Shibuki stood, looking like he didn't know what to do, Fubuki approached him. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

Shibuki sighed. "I don't know," he replied. "Fū has had a difficult life. People tend to be naturally wary of her because of the demon. Her family was never very close to her, and she has had trouble fitting in with other people. And our team has never had the best dynamic, either; our sensei is very aloof and Hiroshi isn't very considerate." He sighed. "Without any close friends or family, Fū's only connection to others is her sense of duty to the village. There's always been a conflict between the wild girl that she was and the disciplined soldier that she aspires to be."

Dismissing himself, Shibuki left to find Hiroshi. Fubuki turned and entered the room where Fū was and sat down across from her. Fū stared straight ahead, but her eyes glimmered as if she were holding back tears. "It's my fault that Hiroshi was injured. I am a burden to my team and to this village."

"You shouldn't blame yourself for something the demon inside you did," Fubuki replied.

"Everyone always said that it was my duty to use the demon to protect the village. If I can't do that, what good am I?"

Fubuki considered this. "I know that the demon is a big part of your life, but the demon itself doesn't define you. I once knew a person who was a demon host, just the same as you. He knew that anytime he used the demon's power, there was a risk that he would lose control, so he vowed to become strong enough on his own so that he would never actually need to use his demon. He wanted to be respected on his own merits, not because of what was inside of him."

"Respect…" Fū mumbled, and Fubuki could tell she was considering the word. They sat quietly for a few minutes, and then Fubuki dismissed herself, leaving Fū alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Fubuki had retired to the adjacent bedroom. She knew she should take the opportunity to get some sleep, but she still hadn't had a chance to come to grips with the enormity of her mission. Really, it was crazy to think that single ninja, not even officially a Jounin, could take on a group like the Akatsuki. Still, it wasn't like she had a choice.

Her repose was interrupted by a knock on the door. She opened the door to see several Waterfall ninja led by Taro. "Madam, please come with us."

"What's going on?" Fubuki asked. She looked at the ninja next to Taro, who she believed to be Fū's sensei, yet Fubuki was certain she knew him for some other reason.

"The bottle of Hero's Water that Elder Hisen left in his office has disappeared," Taro declared, "and we have evidence that you are the one who took it."

Fubuki started as she remembered where she had seen the other ninja before. "Wait, you're Suien! You were trying to take the Hero's Water for yourself!"

"What are you talking about?" Suien replied angrily. "We've never met before, yet you accuse me of stealing from my village? I am a loyal ninja of the Waterfall, whereas you are a stranger who appeared out of nowhere!"

"Enough of this!" Taro snapped. He gestured to the ninja behind him, and they began to search the room. One of them went to the cabinet on the far side of the room, but returned less then a minute later holding a bottle that Fubuki recognized.

Taro examined the bottle. "This is the bottle, but it's empty. What did you do with the contents?"

"Nothing!" Fubuki replied. "I have no idea how that got in here. I never even opened that cabinet!"

"Stealing the Hero's Water is a serious crime against the Hidden Waterfall Village," Taro said. "Take her to the detention center!"

Fubuki quickly considered her options. On one hand, she knew that resisting would mark her as an enemy of the Waterfall Village. On the other, she had a bad feeling about the way Suien was leering at her. Besides, she needed to get to the Leaf Village as soon as possible, and she was not about to let her mission founder while she was stuck in a cell. She brought her hands together to form a seal.

Suien lunged at her, but he was already caught in the illusion technique she had cast and stumbled over a low table. By the time the other ninja had realized what had happened, Fubuki had disappeared.

* * *

An hour after the altercation with Fubuki, Taro summoned Suien to his office. As Suien entered Taro's office, he saw that the man was putting on an elaborate set of armor. "You want to charge that armor now?" Suien asked.

"Fū's future in this village is in doubt," Taro replied. "Even if that foreigner is out of the way, the other elders may decide to ship her off to who-knows-where. We should move forward while we still can. Fetch Fū and meet me at the demonstration area."

* * *

"Hiroshi, you shouldn't have snapped at Fū like that," Shibuki said. "Now she thinks you hate her."

"Look, I'm not mad at her because I got hurt," Hiroshi replied, but Shibuki scowled at him. "Okay, maybe I'm a little mad at that. But mostly it's because we won't be able to take the Chunin Exam. You know how much I was looking forward to that."

Shibuki continued to scowl. "Fū looked like she was going to cry."

Hiroshi looked away and sighed. "Okay, I guess I was a little out of line. I suppose I should apologize. Where is she?"

* * *

From her position hidden in a tree, Fubuki watched as Suien connected a cable from the chakra control device on Fū to Taro's armor. Fubuki knew she should have moved on by now, but she didn't want to abandon Fū. How could she accomplish her mission if she ran away when things became troublesome?

"Since you were unable to control the seven-tails, we are going to try a different approach," Fubuki heard Taro say in response to a question from Fū. "You still want to be of use to the village, right? Then sit still while the device does its work."

Fubuki considered Taro. Although the man rubbed her the wrong way, he was still a village elder and had to be respected as such. Yet there was something about him that made her want to punch something. And when the chakra control device caused Fū to fall to the ground and cry out in agony, all of Fubuki's previous concerns were forgotten and she sprung into action, leaping from her hiding place.

Her hands moved quickly to form a string of seals, giving shape to her chakra, and then she slammed her hands into the ground to allow her technique to take form. "Earth Style: Binding Soil!" Immediately coils of earth shot out of the ground and wrapped around the legs of Taro and Suien. In the split-second it took for them to realize what was happening, Fubuki had detonated a smoke bomb in between them. The two struggled, but her technique prevented them from escaping the smoke.

Fubuki immediately grabbed the cable tethering Fū to Taro. She winced as she came in contact with the lightning chakra coursing through the device, but it did not prevent her from yanking on the cable hard enough to disconnect it from Taro's armor. Fū's cries devolved into whimpers and her writhing decreased enough for Fubuki to grab her. Again ignoring the crackling lightning, Fubuki applied a precise burst of chakra to cause the chakra control device to disconnect. Pulling off the device, Fubuki picked up Fū and carried her to the edge of the clearing. Seeing that Fū was breathing normally, she placed her on the ground, and then turned towards the two men.

By this time Taro had unfurled two tessen fans and had mostly succeeded in dispersing the smoke. His face darkened as he looked toward Fubuki. "You again! Not that I'm surprised. You seem determined to rob me of my investment." He brought the fans together in a rough approximation of a hand seal. "Lightning Style: Discharge!" Chakra began to roll off of his armor and the earth binding his legs fell apart.

Fubuki darted sideways, hoping to draw Taro's attention away from Fū. Her ploy worked, as Taro charged in front of her with surprising speed given his heavy looking armor. The fan in his left hand swung at her side and the fan in his right hand came down from above. But while he was faster than he looked, he was still not faster than Fubuki's reflexes. She jumped backwards, avoiding his attack. Fubuki continued to hop backwards as Taro recovered his equilibrium.

"You're not getting away this time! Lightning Style: Projecting Impact!"

The lightning struck an instant later, moving so fast that Fubuki was unable to completely dodge it. The bolt impacted with a force that sent her tumbling into the trees. Before she could recover, Taro was upon her, bringing his fans down in an overhead strike. Fubuki was able to avoid the attack by using a substitution technique, which was fortunate for her as the powerful blow caused the log that had replaced her to break into three pieces.

* * *

Suien watched as the battle moved away from him. He removed a bottle from his tool pouch and took a sip. His chakra surged and he was able to pull his legs free of the earth. Unfortunately, Hiroshi and Shibuki had just entered the demonstration area and had seen what happened. Fū was beginning to stir, and Shibuki ran to her side to help her, while Hiroshi interspaced himself between them and Suien.

"Sensei!" Hiroshi gasped. "What are you doing? That's the Hero's Water!"

Suien harrumphed. "Looks like I've been found out. It's just as well; I was getting sick of babysitting you brats anyways. I'll be taking Fū now, so stand aside!"

"What are you talking about?" Shibuki asked. "Where are you taking her?"

"Don't you know?" Suien said. "The Akatsuki want the demon sealed within Fū. Since I'm leaving the village, I thought I'd giver her to them, and get myself in good with them."

Hiroshi and Shibuki were startled as they realized what Suien was saying. "No!" Hiroshi cried out. "We can't let you take her!"

"What do you care?" Suien sneered. "You were always criticizing her, and Shibuki seemed to be afraid to talk to her."

"We may not have gotten along," Hiroshi said, "but she is still our teammate and a fellow Waterfall ninja. If you intend to give her to criminals, then you are a traitor, and it is our duty to stop you!"

"Surely you're not serious!" Suien said. "I'm your Jounin sensei. I taught you everything you know. There's no way you can stop me." But seeing the determined looks on Hiroshi and Shibuki's faces, he smirked. "Fine. It looks like I'll have to teach you one last lesson before I go. Hidden Waterfall Style: Water Sword!" Water condensed in Suien's hand, solidifying into the form of a blade. He charged Hiroshi, thrusting his weapon.

Hiroshi tried to dodge, but was unable to move fast enough due to his injuries. The water sword slashed through his side, and he fell to the ground beside Fū. Shibuki threw several shuriken, but a surge of chakra from Suien deflected the projectiles, causing them to fly off to the side harmlessly.

Suien laughed. "This is the power of the Hero's Water! Your attacks are useless!"

* * *

Fubuki had managed to land a hit on Taro's shoulder, but the chakra-infused armor blunted the blow. The lightning covering the armor raced up Fubuki's arm, causing her to cry out. Only years of conditioning allowed her to jump away, narrowly avoiding a blow to the side from Taro.

Taro laughed. "With this power I don't even need the Hero's Water! The others will make me the head ninja, and then I'll make this village back into one of the great powers!"

Fubuki held her side as she tried to regain her equilibrium. "Do you honestly think you can compare to the Kages? Their power is their own, while underneath your armor is a mediocre ninja with an over-inflated ego!" Still, that armor was proving to be a hindrance. Watching Taro carefully, Fubuki's mind raced through her options.

"I'll show you!" Taro yelled, preparing another attack. "Lightning Style: Ion Storm!"

But Fubuki had anticipated the attack and was able to perform a counter technique. "Wind Style: Whirlwind Shield!" A fierce vortex of air sprung up around Fubuki, causing the lightning chakra surrounding her to dissipate.

Seeing his attack negated, Taro snarled and charged his opponent. He brought his fans together in a wide swing, but Fubuki danced underneath the attack. Taro was momentarily overextended, giving Fubuki the opening she needed. Her fist connected with Taro's exposed jaw. The chakra-fueled punch was so powerful that Taro flew into the air and fell into the lake nearby with a large splash. As Taro struggled to free himself from the armor weighing him down, Fubuki ran back to the demonstration area.

* * *

"That was pathetic," Suien said as he stood over the fallen Genin. "Still, I can't have anyone following me, so I better finish you off."

"Stop!" Fū cried out, struggling to her feet. She performed a series of hand seals, gathering chakra into her hands. "Lightning Style: False Darkness!" Lightning flew from her hands and struck Suien. The man's eyes widened in shock and he cried out, then he fell to the ground twitching and incapacitated.

"That attack," Hiroshi gasped. "How were you able to overwhelm Suien like that? And to create lightning; you've never been able to perform the change in chakra nature before!"

Breathing heavily, Fū looked at Suein, then to her teammates. "I called upon the seven-tail's chakra. When I saw Suien attacking you, I had to do something, and I realized there was only one way to overcome his enhanced chakra." Feeling overwhelmed, she sat back down upon the ground. "I know there was a risk in doing that, but I couldn't just let him kill you."

* * *

Hisen and several other Waterfall ninja had arrived at the demonstration area by the time Taro had managed to get out of the lake. Taro was quiet upset about having to abandon his armor at the bottom of a lake, but he quieted down once he heard what had happened to Suien. Said traitor had already been removed to the mission office's detention center.

"I'm sorry I attacked one of the village elders," Fubuki apologized to Hisen, "but his device was harming Fū. Because my mission is to protect the demon hosts, I couldn't let anything happen to her."

"Taro was using the chakra control device to collect the seven-tail's chakra," Hiroshi said. "It seems he wanted the demon's power just for himself."

Taro looked at Hisen. "I swear I didn't know Suien was the one who had taken the Hero's Water!"

"But you were so intent on getting rid of Fubuki that you were easily taken in by Suien's false accusations against her," Hisen rebuked Taro. "Additionally, you were exploiting a ninja of our village for personal gain. Such conduct is unbecoming of an elder." He turned to Fubuki. "I think I speak for all the elders when I say that we will overlook your actions." Taro glowered but said nothing.

Hisen then turned to Fū. "As for you Fū, you are to be commended for your actions against Suien. You were able to successfully use the seven-tail's chakra to protect your teammates and subdue a traitor to this village."

"Thank you, sir." Fū smiled at Hisen, but then her face fell. "However, I'm still a burden to this village." She looked to Fubuki. "You want to protect me, but you said that you will be heading to the Hidden Leaf Village. Take me with you. If I'm not in the village, then the village won't be in danger from my demon or the Akatsuki. And… I want you to teach me how to become strong."

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Fubuki asked. "I need to find the other demon hosts and figure out how to protect them from the Akatsuki. I'll probably be traveling a lot, and I won't have much time with which I could train you."

"I know," Fū replied, "but my duty as a Waterfall shinobi is to protect this village from all threats. It's my responsibility to do what I can, and I think I can do more by going with you then I would be able to by staying here. At the very least, I wouldn't be such an obvious target if I wasn't in the village." She looked at Hisen. "That is, if it's okay…"

Hisen sighed. "Duty is more than just following orders. It is about taking initiative to protect those you care about, like you did earlier. Perhaps it would be good for you to get away from the expectations of the village for a while. Now that you are a Genin, you are technically an adult, so you need to learn how to make your own decisions."

"I won't be able to do any missions for a few weeks anyways," Hiroshi said. "Besides, now that Suien is gone, we won't be able to take the Chunin Exams anyways."

"Then it is decided," Hisen said. "Fū, I am assigning you an official mission to travel to the Hidden Leaf Village with Fubuki. While there you shall assist Fubuki and the Leaf ninja in finding a way to counter the threat of the Akatsuki. I realize that such a mission is well beyond what is expected of a mere Genin, but as ninja it is often circumstance and not experience that dictates the missions we undertake."

"I understand," Fubuki replied. "I'll do my best."

* * *

For many years the seven-tailed demon horned beetle had been tightly confined, like one of its mundane brethren trapped within a too small jar. So when its host tried to draw upon the demon's power, metaphorically loosening the lid of the jar, the demon seized the opportunity to free itself, if only temporarily. After such a long imprisonment, the demon had been ready to take its revenge upon those arrogant mortals who thought they could contain its incredible power. But when the human with the demon seal appeared, the beetle's priorities changed.

The new human's chakra smelled heavily of danger, but also of opportunity. The chakra of the demon reacted to the seal, and the feedback caused the manifested chakra to dissolve, forcing the beetle to withdraw into its host. However, this reaction had another, subtler effect: it created a miniscule crack in the seal containing the demon within the host. Though the seal still held strong, it now had a weakness that could be capitalized upon. And so, for the first time in years, the demon did not rage against its confinement, but instead began to quietly worry at the seal.

Though the demon was the embodiment of the destructive forces of nature, it was not above patience. After all, mountains did not fall to the fury of a single storm, but to the gradual erosion of endless time. And though humans might delude themselves into thinking that the fruits of their labor would stand eternal, eventually all of their efforts would crumble into dust. Such was the way of things.


End file.
